The invention concerns a method and device for detecting pad construction and/or drilling and/or hydraulic fracturing of hydrocarbon wells.
The invention generally applies to oil wells and/or gas wells.
Prior to production, several steps are required to bring a well online. In the USA, a permit for drilling must be issued first. This permit gives the operator permission to drill at a certain place before an expiration date. In order to proceed with the subsequent steps, a “well pad” is then constructed at the location of the permit to enable for the use of heavy machinery. A rig in then mobilized on the well pad to proceed with the drilling of the well. Otherwise, for unconventional wells, there is an additional hydraulic fracturing (fracking) step. Both drilling and fracking activity have a timescale of a few days to several weeks and involve heavy machinery.
Thus, knowing exactly when a well is drilled or fracked is a key factor to estimate its production time series. However almost all official databases containing the reports of drilling and fracking activity are lagged. This lag can sometimes exceed a year for some wells.